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1 1 (November 24, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdcry0001 and id is 1 raw text is: \ Q xa S Bolivia: An Overview Bolivia is a landlocked South American nation of 11.7 million people (see Figure 1). From2006 to 2018, Bolivia became more stable and prosperous under President Evo Morales, its firs t indigenous president. Bolivia als o experienced backsliding in measurements of g overnance. In November 2019, Morales resigned after an election marred by irregularities and sustained protests. Luis Arce, Morales's former finance minister, took office a year later, after winning 55% of the vote in October 2020 elections in which his Movement Toward Socialism(MAS) also maintained a legislative majority. President Arce faces many challenges, including how to address the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and how to manage relations with the United States. xckgr()und Chronic instability, poverty, corruption, and deep ethnic and regionalcleavages have stymied Bolivia's development. Bolivia won independence fromSpain in 1825, experiencing frequent military coups and periods of authoritarian rule for much of its history. The country reestablished democratic civilian rule in 1982. Bolivia's population is among the most ethnically diverse in South America. In the 2012 census, some 41% of the population self-identified as indigenous (Quechua or Aymara). The rest ofthe population is ofEuropean, mixed European and indigenous, or African descent. Bolivian indigenous peoples benefitted fromthe National Revolution of 1952, which led to land reformand expanded suffrage. Nevertheless, they remained underrepresented in the political systempriorto Morales's government and disproportionally affected by poverty and inequality. Cultivation of the cocaleafremains a contentious issuein Bolivia and in Bolivian-U.S. relations. Many ofBolivia's indigenous communities consider the coca leaf s acred and use it for traditional, licit purposes (the leaf also is used to make cocaine). Opposition to years of U.S.-backed forced coca eradication policies led to th eris e of coca growers' trade unions and arelated politicalparty, the Movement Toward Socialism(MAS). In 2005, years of protest against leaders perceived to have governed on behalf of the elite led to the election of Morales, president of the coca growers' union and a self-identified person of Aymara descent. Ptiti c al C \.ndii \.ae\ Morales and the MAS transformed Bolivia. Morales decriminalized coca cultivation outside of traditional zones where it had been legal, increased state control over the economy,usednatural gas revenue to expand social programs, and enacted anew constitution (2009) favoring the rights and autonomy of indigenous peoples. Previously underrepresented groups increased their representation at all levels of government. In foreign policy, Morales aligned Bolivia with Hugo Chdvez of Venezuela in taking a hostile stance toward the United States. In 2008, he expelled the U.S. Ambas s ador for allegedly fomenting opposition to his government, charges the State Department dismis sed as false. Figure I. Bolivia at a Glance Population 1 mioen (2019, 1M F est.) Area: 42464 square mites, almost p es nthe s of GDP/ GDP per captae Populat~on, below the poverty hne: 372% (201, NE Key trading partners tnt a isae:Baui Argeoruna (13.2), Chia (l3.O%0 2019, TDM Top exports: in g n eto m, god (18, TM I Sources: CRS Graphics, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Instituto Nacional de Estadisticas (INE), Trade Data Monitor (TDM). Under Morales, Bolivia ranked partly free in Freedom House's annualFreedom in the Worldreports, scoring lowest on is sues related to due process andjudicial independence. The government launched judicial proceedings against opposition politicians, dismis sed hundreds ofjudges, and restricted freedomof the pres s. Concerns increased after the Constitutional Tribunal ended cons titutionallimits on reelection in 2017, essentially overruling a 2016 referendumin which voters rejected allowing Morales to run for a fourth term. In November 2019, Morales resigned and went into exile amid nationwide protests against a disputed October first-round election in which he had claimed victory. Many Bolivians criticized the authoritarianismof the interim government that took overafterMorales's resignation. Led by Jeanette Aez, formerly a conservative senator, the interimgovernment rolled backMAS policies, used violence against protesters, and prosecuted former MAS officials. Afezsuspendedcommunity-based coca control and adopted a drug policy aimed at achieving a drug free Bolivia. The interim government also struggled to address COVID-19, and a corruption scandalprompted the health minister to resign. The October2020 elections proved to be areferendumon the legacy of Morales andtheMAS. In contrast to the chaos of the 2019 elections, the new Supreme Electoral Tribunal administered a process that international election observers * Via \ ~k K Updated November 24,2020

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